Ambush Part 1

After deviating from the original course for about an hour, Number Five noticed that there were ships chasing them from behind. There were probably seven or eight of them, all small to medium-sized ships with slightly lower firepower but faster speed.

Shi Jin glanced at his progress bar, which had already reached 900, and ordered, "Increase speed and keep a distance from them. When the time is right, fire a few shots at them."

"Understood." Number Five followed orders and had the operator open the rear gun ports, aiming directly at the approaching ships.

Boom!

As soon as the gun ports were aimed, the closest enemy ship fired a shot at them.

"They're firing directly at us!" the captain raised his voice.

Shi Jin remained calm and said, "Return fire, keep a distance, and don't enter their range!" The movements of Number Five's hands were non-stop. After a few muffled explosions, the pursuing ships were obstructed and their speed slowed down.

The two sides gradually pulled apart, and the destroyed ship quickly left the range of the enemy's gunfire and was about to sail out of their radar monitoring range.

"Don't go too fast, let them chase us," Shi Jin ordered. He then took out his phone and called Number One, asking, "How's the situation on your end?"

Number One's voice was as steady as ever, replying, "Everything is arranged."

Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his shirt collar. "Let's stick to this rhythm and lead these ships to our predetermined location."

"Yes!" Number Five responded.

Number Two poured a cup of hot water for Shi Jin and asked, "Aren't you afraid of using yourself as bait to trap them? The first batch we encountered was just the vanguard, their firepower wasn't too strong. But the real challenge is yet to come."

Shi Jin thanked him and took a sip of water to calm his thoughts. He glanced at the radar, which was flashing with warning signals, and replied, "Of course I'm afraid, but I trust you and I trust the ship that Lian Jun gave me. It's the best and can definitely hold up until we meet with Number One."

"But Number One is too far away," Number Two said, looking at the map and frowning. "At our current speed, we won't arrive until tomorrow morning, and that's not even considering the time we'll spend fighting the enemy."

"I have no choice, the thing I need is only available over there," replied Shi Jin. He glanced at the satellite phone on the table, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to call Lian Jun.

Number Two noticed his actions and asked, "Aren't you going to contact Young Master Jun?"

Shi Jin raised his hand to his forehead and shook his head, "No, he'll worry...I'll contact him once everything settles down."

......

Yuan Peng received a message from his subordinate and spoke towards the communication device that was on four-way call, "We've located Shi Jin's position. He's moving towards the nearest group of islands, probably planning to leave the international waters and go somewhere with more people. The firepower of the vanguard troops is still lacking, the ship they destroyed was modified, they won't be able to stop him."

"What about the follow-up troops?" asked Meng Qing. "We're heading over there, but it's a bit difficult to catch up. The ship we're trying to destroy is too fast," Yuan Peng replied.

"I'll have my people go ahead and block their route," Qi Yun said.

"I'll send a fleet of helicopters over," Meng Qing added.

Finally, Lu Shan spoke up, saying, "My people are also gathering over there. We should be able to meet up with Yuan Peng's team in about two hours. Do you need any weapons supplies?"

"That would be helpful," Yuan Peng replied. With everyone's cooperation, he felt a sense of power and satisfaction. "Alright, now it's time to put the running rat back in its cage."

......

Boom! The waves crashed and the ship rocked. Shi Jin held onto the table to steady himself and asked with a frown, "How many reinforcements have arrived?"

"At least a dozen ships, there are more enemies than what Lu Shan reported to us!" Number Five replied, noticing the radar flashing frequently. He looked over and his expression changed, "Why are there flying objects approaching? They seem to be very close... the other side has anti-monitoring devices!"

Shi Jin glanced at his progress bar, which had surged to 980. He clenched his fists and ordered, "Use firepower to intercept them, don't let them surround us, protect the main body of the ship as much as possible, and don't engage in combat with them! The following ten or so ships that are chasing us obviously belong to different factions, they have no cooperation and are even interfering with each other. We have a chance!"

"Yes!" Number Five replied.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Another round of artillery bombardment, but it was not easy to shake off the pursuers. The enemy's ships were just too many. "Enemy ships are approaching ahead, about seven or eight of them! At our current speed, we will enter their firing range in about two minutes," Number Two suddenly spoke with a serious expression.

Number Five quickly followed up, "The enemy ships behind us are starting to split up and prepare to surround us."

Shi Jin hurriedly looked at the radar, his expression also becoming serious. He glanced at the progress bar, which had already reached 990, and gritted his teeth, "If we continue like this, we'll be surrounded by them. We absolutely cannot fall into their trap! Deviate from our course to the right, concentrate our firepower on the ships to the lower right, and don't let them surround us. At the same time, watch the skies and try to break through with all our might!"

Number Two and Number Five didn't even have time to respond before they busily got to work.

Boom! The ship was hit by a shell and began to shake violently. The alarm of the damaged hull sounded, piercingly loud.

"Where is it damaged?" Shi Jin asked.

The captain was sweating profusely and replied, "Only part of the second floor cargo hold is damaged. The main power area is fine, so it won't affect firing or retreat!"

"Very good." Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at his progress bar which had already reached 995. He took a deep breath and silently called out, "Xiao Si!"

"I know, c-coming!" Xiao Si was extremely nervous. In the instant that Shi Jin spoke, he quickly buffed Shi Jin and began to search for the best escape route.

Shi Jin felt his mind clear and his focus became incredibly sharp. He hurried over to the operator who controlled the direction of the main gun and asked, "This is the main gun, right?"

"Um, well, Young Master Shi, you-"

Shi Jin reached out and pressed down on the control panel, saying, "Let me use it."

The operator was a bit confused, "Young Master Shi...?"

Xiao Si suddenly screamed, "Direction E125! That's where the enemy's attack is weakest. Go in, watch the sky! Be careful! The progress bar is up to 998!"

"Prepare to break through from the direction of E125! Except for the main gun, all gun ports aim at the sky! Hurry!" Shi Jin's expression was tense as he quickly moved his fingers to aim the main gun at the direction of E125.

Then, after the other operators aimed all the gun ports at the sky, he quickly recited a few coordinates and commanded in a deep voice, "Aim each gun port at the coordinates I reported according to the number. Listen to my prompt, countdown three seconds, three, two, one, fire!" At the same time, he pressed the firing button of the main gun.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions rang out overhead, the ship shook wildly, and the alarm blared. As they looked up, Number Two realized that the iron objects flying in the sky had already prepared for an attack. With a grim expression, he said, "This must be a team sent by Meng Qing. Only his flying team could achieve such a high level of concealment!"

"Forget about them, increase speed and break through! Aim the cannons at both sides and launch the second attack! Don't give them a chance to attack us again!" ordered Shi Jin quickly.

The captain tried hard not to look at the damage reports from different areas of the ship, and followed the orders with a frown. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "There's a flying object crashing ahead! We'll collide if we keep going at this speed!"

"Blow it up!" said Shi Jin, quickly adjusting the main cannon with the help of Xiao Si's guidance. With precision, he fired a shot and destroyed the object. The captain tightened his grip on the wheel and gritted his teeth as he pushed the ship to its maximum speed. Amidst the violent shaking and thunderous roar of cannon fire, he steered the ship, narrowly avoiding the enemy's encirclement and charging straight out, leaving them in the dust.

Meanwhile, in the rear, Meng Qing's squadron was caught off guard by a sudden wave of attacks from above, causing several planes to crash right into the middle of the encirclement. But instead of being left to their fate, they were saved by friendly fire.

......

"Damn it! A bunch of useless cowards!" Yuan Peng couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and curse. "Dozens of ships can't even surround one Shi Jin, what the hell are they doing?"

Meng Qing's expression was also grim, but she managed to stay calm and said, "That ship is like a mobile fortress, it's no surprise that those useless ships can't surround it. But now that the ship is severely damaged, it's on its last legs. We just need to keep chasing it."

Qi Yun couldn't quite understand and said, "According to reason, with this level of firepower, even the strongest ship should have been blasted to pieces by the flames..."

"I told you before, Lian Jun loved Shi Jin dearly. The ship he gave Shi Jin was definitely the best and had the highest defense. Why don't you believe me? And this time, it's not unjust that they were able to break through. Look at the accuracy of your crew's cannon fire compared to the accuracy of the enemy's. And those pilots of Meng Qing's, they were taken out with just one round of enemy fire. As for the subordinates arranged by Yuan Peng, they only managed to scratch the surface of the enemy after fighting for so long. With such a difference, what's the point of continuing to play?" Lu Shan jumped in again to pour cold water on the situation and intentionally belittled Yuan Peng, hoping to divert Qi Yun's thoughts.

Yuan Peng fell for it and angrily retorted, "Lu Shan, stop talking nonsense! We were out at sea with so many interfering factors, how could we possibly have such accurate aim?"

"But how does Annihilation always hit the target with every shot? I'm not just saying this to be pessimistic, but I hope you all can be more alert. With such a gap in personnel strength, aren't you afraid? Annihilation can create a pit with every shot, and their firepower is never wasted. On our side, at least 70% of our firepower has been wasted. You should reflect on yourselves!" Lu Shan retorted, her voice becoming deeper as she had a small outburst.

"I have been fighting against Annihilation with my Tarantula for many years, and I know their strength the best. Thank goodness that the person on the ship today isn't Lian Jun, or else we would have already lost this battle! From the meeting until now, everything I say is seen as pouring cold water on the situation. But why don't you think about it? Annihilation has been sitting on the throne for so many years, what are they relying on? If we can't even acknowledge the enemy's strength, how can we win?" The air was briefly quiet, but the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Everyone knew they were not as good as Lian Jun, but who would be willing to admit it? Lian Jun was just a new and inexperienced junior, and he was also a lame person who couldn't walk! Who could accept losing to such a person?

"Shi Jin hasn't died yet, why are we fighting among ourselves?" Qi Yun came out to mediate, speaking slowly. "It was my people who had a problem and failed to join forces with yours to form a siege, which allowed Shi Jin to escape. It was my fault, and I will try to make up for it. Let's go after him first. Old Meng is right, Shi Jin is already at the end of his rope."

Meng Qing also came out to smooth things over, suppressing her emotions. "Qi Yun is right. Yuan Peng put in a lot of effort this time and worked hard. Lu Shan, you are Yuan Peng's senior, so please say a little less." Lu Shan remained silent, seemingly angry.

Meng Qing then turned to persuade Yuan Peng a few more times. Although Yuan Peng was somewhat unhappy, he couldn't afford to offend any of the three people present. So he swallowed his anger, reflected on himself, and then reorganized the team to chase after Shi Jin's escape direction.

...

Fei Yujing rushed into the captain's room with Li Jiuzheng, frowning and asking, "What just happened? You guys didn't--"

The captain's room was a mess, with everyone leaning against the wall, table, and instrument panel, all with a post-traumatic expression. The alarm inside the room was blaring, and the sound of the ship's damage warning was mechanically repeating.

"Xiao Jin." Li Jiuzheng walked over to Shi Jin, who was leaning against the table, and asked anxiously, "Are you injured? Many people fell during the last few attacks, and you..."

"I'm fine," Shi Jin reassured him, barely recovering from the thrilling escape. He glanced at his progress bar, which had fallen to 700, and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to the captain, he asked, "Is the ship heavily damaged?"

The captain regained his composure and checked the condition of the ship before replying, "It's pretty bad... We shouldn't engage in any more firefights. The power area is exposed, and if the ship gets hit again, it will sink."

Shi Jin frowned and suddenly turned to look at Li Jiuzheng and Fei Yujing. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "There's a helicopter on board. While the enemy hasn't caught up yet, why don't I arrange for someone to take you to a safe place--"

Li Jiuzheng's expression changed, and he said, "Xiao Jin, are you trying to get rid of me?"

Fei Yujing also frowned.

Shi Jin explained, "I'm not trying to get rid of you, it's just in case..."

"We'll leave together," interrupted Li Jiuzheng, his face expressionless and his tone stubborn.